The canine Olympic Games

Even though this summer’s Tokyo Olympic Games have been postponed, that’s no reason not to showcase the body’s tremendous capabilities at home. We came up with the idea of featuring Olympic-inspired activities that you can do with your dog. You’ll have a lot of fun trying out the proposed events and, who knows, your dog might even win a gold medal!

1. Gymnastics: the agility course (backyard variety)

The goal  

Create an obstacle course and lead your dog through it from beginning to end, as quickly as possible.

What you need

There’s no need to load up on equipment like agility competition organizers do. You can find a ton of objects at home to recreate various agility obstacles. Here are a few examples:

• Place a broomstick or mop handle on the ground and have your dog jump over it.
• Use living room cushions to create a tunnel.
• Line up kitchen chairs and have your dog weave around them.
• Use a living room coffee table for your dog to crawl under.
• Fold a large blanket over once or twice and create a narrow pathway. Place it on the ground and have your dog walk across it without touching the ground.

What to do

Have fun setting up an obstacle course that takes your dog’s skills into account. With a treat in hand, encourage your dog to jump, crawl, climb and weave.

2. Diving

The goal

Have your dog dunk its head into water to retrieve its favourite fruits or treats.

What you need

Don’t worry, you won’t need a 10-m springboard! A child’s plastic wading pool, your pool (provided your dog knows how to swim) or a large bowl will do. 

What to do

This is both a simple and refreshing activity. Place pieces of fruit (e.g., apples, strawberries, water melon) in the water and encourage your dog to bob for them.

3. Tennis

The goal

Have your dog catch the ball on one bounce.

What you need

A tennis racket and bouncy balls

What to do

Bounce the balls on the ground and encourage your dog to catch them on the first bounce.

4. Athleticism (or lure coursing)

The goal  

Have your dog chase its favourite toy.

What you need

A long enough toy so that your dog can clearly see it, a rope of the length of your choice or a stick of your choice (e.g., broomstick, hockey stick)

What to do

Tie one end of the rope to the toy and the other end of the rope to the stick. Hold onto the stick and have your dog run around, chasing its favourite toy.

5. Discus or frisbee throw

The goal   

See how far your dog can run to catch a frisbee.

What you need

A frisbee for dogs

What to do

You dog must be near you before you throw the frisbee and has to jump to catch it.

6. Climbing

The goal   

Encourage your dog to find and keep its balance.

What you need

Cushions (for dogs, or ones like those on your sofa), pillows or blankets

What to do

Use whatever you find to create different levels (like a staircase). Encourage your dog to climb increasingly higher, while keeping its balance.

7. Treat triathlon

The goal 

Discover whether your dog has an agile snout and paws, while stimulating its sense of smell.

What you need

A plastic dish with a lid (e.g., margarine or yogurt container), plastic bottles (e.g., water or dressing bottles), stackable plastic cups, a length of string and treats.

What to do

Create three different activities to be carried out one after another. You decide on the number of containers, bottles and cups that you want to use, which will determine the length of your triathlon.

1. Make a hole in the lid of your plastic container so that your dog can smell the treats that you place inside. Your dog will have to find a way to open the container in order to access the treats.
2. Make holes in both sides of the water bottles and pass the string through the bottles. Then, tie each end of the string to something solid (like chairs) so that the string becomes taught. Remove the caps from the bottles and place treats inside. Using its paws and snout, your dog will have to balance the bottles in order to extract the food.

    

3. Place treats in each of the cups and then stack the cups. Using its snout, your dog will have to unstack the cups to access the treats.

Who will be lucky one to be declared big winner of your Canine Olympics? Have fun and remember that the important thing is not to win but to participate!